Leprosy

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Transcript of Leprosy

(HANSEN'S DISEASE) LEPROSY BY: PEDRO ACOSTA MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE M. leprae is the bacterium that causes leprosyDiscovered in 1873 by the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer HansenIt was the first bacterium to be identified as causing disease in humans SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS Skin lesions that may be faded/discoloredGrowths on the skinThick, stiff or dry skinSevere painNumbness on affected areas of the skinMuscle weakness or paralysis (especially in the hands and feet)Eye problems that may lead to blindnessEnlarged nerves (especially those around the elbow and knee)A stuffy noseNosebleedsUlcers on the soles of feet TREATMENT/CURE 6 months to 2 years with a combination of antibioticsNerve damage is irreversible95% of all adults are naturally unable to get the disease M. LEPRAE LIFE CYCLE Nasal secretions containing bateria enter the bodyCharacterized by bacterial replication inside intracellular vesicles of macrophages, Schwann cells, and endothelial cells (immune system evasion) PREVENTION No available vaccineAvoid contact with others who have the disease and armadillos RISK OF EXPOSURE BIBLIOGRAPHY As many as 2 million people are permanently disabled by leprosy

Countries where the disease is widespread includes:AngolaBrazilCentral African RepublicDemocratic Republic of CongoFederated States of MicronesiaIndiaKiribatiMadagascarMozambiqueNepalRepublic of Marshall IslandsUnited Republic of Tanzania Leprosy was well recognized in the oldest civilizations of China, Egypt, and IndiaThe first known written reference to leprosy appeared in an Egyptian papyrus document written around 1550 BCIt was thought to be a hereditary disease, a curse, or punishment from the godsDuring the Middle Ages, those with leprosy were forced to wear special clothing and ring bells to warn others as they walked byIn 1921, the U.S. Public Health Service established the nation’s first leprosarium in Carville, LouisianaA leprosarium served as an institution for people with leprosy and a hospital for experiments with treatments for leprosy as well as a laboratory to study the organismIn 1941, the discovery of Promin, a sulfone drug, was shown to successfully cure leprosy, but this treatment also involved painful injectionsIn the 1950s, dapsone pills, pioneered by Dr. R.G. Cochrane at Carville, became the treatment of choice for leprosyIn the 1970s, the first successful multidrug treatment (MDT) regimen for leprosy was developed through drug trials on the island of MaltaMDT is a combination of three drugs: dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine HISTORY http://www.cdc.gov/http://www.webmd.comhttp://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/sosarafova/Assets/Bio307/aler/lifecycle.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycobacterium_lepraehttp://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/leprosy/understanding/Pages/history.aspx